Indeed, the future of healthcare is going to be bright with emerging technologies. Also, the right technology can evolve the healthcare industry in several ways. Healthcare organizations rely on different services to enhance their process and to boost their efficiency. It is seen that several healthcare companies have moved their applications from on-site solutions to cloud-based to SaaS platforms.
SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) is a delivery model in which software is licensed on a subscription basis. Earlier, it was known as software plus service. SaaS providers offer several benefits to the healthcare industry. They allow the use of learning management systems for healthcare training and facilitates easier collaboration. Initially, it faced backlash due to several reasons.
However, today it is safeguarded and offers benefits to the healthcare industry. The healthcare sector is turning towards SaaS as a more reliable way of deploying cloud-based
EHRs. They have started deploying SaaS applications throughout every department.
Let us first understand how SaaS, IaaS, and PaaS differ from each other.
Difference Between PaaS, SaaS, and IaaS
The cloud is the hottest topic of the IT industries. Businesses are switching their business to the cloud to deliver better results. But before any business opts for cloud service, it is important to know the difference between the different cloud services.
What Do You Understand By PaaS?
Platform-as-a Service, or better known as PaaS, delivers a framework for developers and allows them to create customized applications. It provides hardware and software tools over the internet, and users use these tools to develop applications. With PaaS, the developers don’t have to start from scratch and can use existing codes.
This saves time and money. It is the preferred choice of businesses as it can be accessible by multiple users. Additionally, it is built on virtualization technology and can be run without system administration knowledge. It allows the developer to target the creative side of the development. Magento Commerce Cloud is the best example of PaaS for eCommerce.
What Do You Understand By IaaS?
Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) offers services such as networking and virtualization. It gives users a cloud-based-alternatives so that businesses can avoid investing in costly resources. It requires an initial investment in physical hardware, and then you need to engage external IT contractors to keep everything working.
It is highly flexible and scalable and can be replaced when you need to install other services. It can be accessible by multiple users and is beneficial to businesses of all sizes. IaaS delivers cloud computing infrastructure, including operating systems and networks.
These servers are provided to the organization through an API and give complete control to the entire infrastructure. IaaS clients are responsible for handling several applications like middleware and data. It is the most flexible cloud computing model and can be used by start-ups and larger companies.
What Do You Understand By SaaS?
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) uses the internet to deliver applications. It is generally managed by third-party vendors and runs directly through a web browser. The majority of the subscriptions include compliance, security services, which can be costly.
SaaS providers are simple to set up and are best for healthcare organizations. It is scalable with different tiers for small and enterprise-level businesses. It is best to use when you want an application to run smoothly and reliably. SaaS provides several advantages to companies by reducing the money and time spent on complex activities like upgrading software.
The Future of Healthcare SaaS
According to reports, healthcare SaaS would become more important in the future due to low-cost and scalability benefits. Researchers expect that the market would generate over $60 billion by 2025.
The healthcare industry would use SaaS for enlarging revenue and streamlining workflow.
HIPAA compliant SaaS solutions are controlled and tracked by the experts and give valuable medical information. Furthermore, it would decrease application deployment time and unifies application delivery services across data centers.
Healthcare SaaS Trends That Would be Game Changer in the Future
Take a look at a few important healthcare SaaS trends that would make a strong impact on the healthcare industry in the coming days.
1. Vertical SaaS
Vertical SaaS is a type of Software-as-a-Service cloud computing solution that targets a particular industry. BioIO, GuideWire, and Health Assurance Plan are common examples of Vertical SaaS.
Its solutions are built for industry niches and take a narrower approach to the market than horizontal counterparts. It would focus more on the B2B world with its solutions.
The focus on one vertical would help to build customers or supply chains. SaaS has become an on-demand solution that has replaced traditional software usage by reducing the need to host hardware.
2. Use of Multiple Clouds
Healthcare organizations using PaaS would see drastic changes in 2021. The healthcare companies would meet challenging issues with new SaaS Trends.
Several companies use PaaS and enjoy flexibility. With multiple cloud providers, the companies could store and secure the necessary healthcare data. An amazing move was seen with APIs like Google Health.
It allowed companies to look after the healthcare real value data. You can also use a multi-layered secure approach, including data-loss prevention and encryption, and more.
3. More Attention to Security
According to reports, more companies will be using multiple clouds in 2021; therefore, there will be a greater need for privacy and security. With patient’s data kept in the cloud, it becomes important for the organizations to keep their data secure.
4. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial intelligence is becoming popular among healthcare companies. It is reported that over 80% of IT companies have begun to work on AI technologies. AI provides the healthcare sector a better interaction between responsiveness and businesses.
Its ability to recognize patterns would help the organizations to detect potential errors quickly. Furthermore, internal processes can speed up with AI, allowing companies to interact with internal processes with better efficiency and faster automation.
5. PaaS Migration
Many developers specialize in healthcare software and aim at patient retention and patient acquisition. PaaS includes a software development kit (SDK) and allows users to create custom applications.
PaaS offers easy access and flexibility to scale the business with fewer efforts. The features of being customizable and offering enhanced functionality improve business agility and give healthcare organizations more time to concentrate on errors (if any).
6. Pay-Per-Use
SaaS vendors work on subscription models. This allows users to pay a certain amount for services monthly. It is beneficial for users and vendors. However, many vendors find a pay-per-use option better than monthly services. These price models work great for start-ups and small-sized businesses.
How SaaS is Providing Benefits to the Healthcare Industry
Healthcare SaaS is becoming common as organizations are transforming their infrastructure to digitize their IT environment. SaaS is the most basic form of cloud computing. It stores data that can be accessed by users through web browsers.
Over the years, SaaS is gaining popularity around the globe. Some organizations are using SaaS along with cloud-based deployment to create a custom cloud environment to avail the advantage of other deployment models.
Let us know the benefits of SaaS for the healthcare industry.
1. Highly Secure
Security is an obstacle in the healthcare industry. The organizations are bounded by the laws associated with the protection of
Patient Healthcare Information (PHI) and have seen data breaches. However, the healthcare industry has seen several changes over the years. The cloud has given better security than the old ways of handling patient data.
Vendors offering SaaS services understand the complexities of data protection and offer advanced protection in the industry. The advanced protection includes multi-factor authentication protocols and HIPAA-compliant 128-bit encryption.
2. Real-Time Updates
SaaS technology allows healthcare professionals to use reported data to analyze the consequences and measures that affect medical operations. When healthcare experts share a clinical application, they can track real-time updates and make better decisions based on accurate information without waiting for fax and phone calls.
3. Better Data Storage Capabilities
The cloud can easily manage big data volume and patient data of the healthcare industry. The cloud can efficiently save and secure data. Furthermore, the data is entered into multiple systems and shared between other systems. With SaaS, the data entries can be shared within a few minutes without errors.
Software as a Service (SaaS) has a modular architecture and permits the meeting of needs instantly. It converts data into valuable information. With this, the healthcare experts would check only the necessary information rather than checking the entire document.
Final Words
The cloud-based application is expected to see huge growth in the coming years, as healthcare organizations are using technologies for cost savings and better results. If you are into the healthcare organization, then choose the best cloud-based solutions based on your business and patient outcomes.
